A Majority of One
“One with God is a majority” – The Scottish Covenanters
I was once asked if I would ever consider leaving the denomination. “Is there anything which would push you over the edge and cause you to leave?” My answer was “no,” but I fumbled with an explanation as to why. After many years I now believe I know why.
I have never been a schematic person, nor have I ever been drawn toward sects in the Church. It has been sad to see so many of my friends, those whom I have respected and admired over the years, leave the denomination. I have never found merit in denominationalism, the leaving of one denomination to form or unite with another, because I believe that act to be a wrongful dividing of Christ’s Body. I, on the other hand, choose not to secede yet remain independent of the body. Even though I choose to remain in the visible church of my youth, I do so not at the price of compromise or indifference to the doctrines and the errors which have arisen. In this regard I find myself drawn to and more closely aligned with the old Scottish Covenanters, those souls of the Church of Scotland who from within the church continually fought to keep Her pure to their Biblical understanding of who the church is and Her proper place in the world.
In more recent years I have experienced much pressure to go along with the “majority” and their thinking regarding contemporary interpretations if not outright denial of the old church’s faith – the emphasis of action over belief; the work to fit the church into society rather than mold society to please God; the struggle to bring about unity outside of and apart from unity in Christ; this litany is another long one. What I have come to learn is that it is neither safe nor right to act against my conscience. I am accountable to a Higher Authority, so I now do not hesitate to proclaim what I know to be correct. Yet it is baffling how schematic this position and those interpretations have become.